Kate Bush, Tracey Emin, Nicola Benedetti and Quentin Blake honoured

Sir Quentin Blake said his knighthood was a “valuable 80th birthday present”
as Kate Bush, Tracey Emin and Nicola Benedetti were also honoured.

Sir Quentin has delighted generations with his imagesPhoto: REX FEATURES

By Wesley Johnson, Home Affairs Correspondent

12:01AM GMT 29 Dec 2012

Sir Quentin, the illustrator who has delighted generations with his images, said the honour was particularly welcome as it marked his ongoing work brightening the lives of hospital patients with specially-commissioned artworks.

Bush, one of the most distinctive singers and songwriters of her generation, said it was a "great surprise" to be awarded a CBE for her services to music.

The 54-year-old, whose first hit Wuthering Heights topped the charts and instantly made her a star, said: “I feel deeply honoured to be included in this list.”

Emin said receiving the CBE felt like being "pushed in at the deep end", adding it was “insane” trying to keep it secret.

“For me this honour is a symbol of how art can change people's perception of life and view the world in a different way,” she said.

“But always in life recognition is not why we do things. We do things because of vocation, because we have to do them."

The 49-year-old artist, who grew up in Margate, Kent, first made an impression on the wider public outside the art world in 1997 with a drunken appearance on a television discussion show about the Turner Prize.

Two years later, she was shortlisted for the prize and exhibited one of her most famous works, My Bed, at the Tate Gallery which divided the critics but began the process of making her one of the country's most famous living artists.

Benedetti, the Scottish classical violinist, added that being recognised among the likes of Sir Quentin, Bush and Emin with an MBE for her services to music and charity was “at least a step above any other honour you can get in the UK”.

The 25-year-old said it was a “complete shock”, adding it was “definitely not the kind of thing you’re looking for, expecting or even thinking of at my age”.

“It’s me being recognised, but I hope it’s me and the art and classical music and the point for music education - all the things that I think are so important for the future of our society,” she said.

“Being in amongst such varied but talented, interesting and heroic people, that’s always a wonderful feeling when you’re in any way shape or form categorised with them, that makes the honour all the more.”

Comedy writer Jeremy Lloyd, who was behind some of TV's best-loved sitcoms including ‘Allo ‘Allo, was also awarded an OBE for his services to British comedy.

The 82-year-old said: "I'm aware I've made people laugh round the world, but I'm astounded to be honoured for services to British comedy.

"It is, after all, what I love doing and couldn't have done without the many wonderful actors, directors and others who made my work come to life."